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Four Dark Nights: The Circle/Pyre/Jonah Arose/the Words
Stories include:
Circle by Bentley Little
Pyre by Christopher Golden
Jonah Arose by Tom Piccirilli
Words by Douglas Clegg
Circle by Bentley Little
Pyre by Christopher Golden
Jonah Arose by Tom Piccirilli
Words by Douglas Clegg
326 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2002
5 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
About the author
Bentley Little
135 books2,566 followersBentley Little is an American author of horror fiction. Publishing an average of a novel a year since 1990, Little avoids publicity and rarely does promotional work or interviews for his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 22, 2023
This is a good anthology of four horror novellas. Curiously, no editor is credited. It's one of those examples of how different authors can come up with very divergent stories from a common starting point. The Bentley Little story is typical and representative of his work, I enjoyed the Tom Piccirilli story but I'm not sure I quite understood it completely, the Douglas Clegg was okay despite some confusing viewpoint shifts, and my favorite was the Christopher Golden, a good look at the parent-child dynamic and how sometimes it's hard to let things go. One should, of course, read this one after dark.
February 9, 2018
A nice assortment of witch-crafty novellas from four very talented writers: Bentley Little, Christopher Golden, Tom Piccirilli, and Douglas Clegg. My favorite, Bentley Little's "The Circle" where a neighborhood is brought to its knees, in surprising ways, by a scorned witch. It reminded me, just a little, of Richard Matheson's masterpiece, A STIR OF ECHOES.
December 13, 2024
When four of the most acclaimed horror authors come together you expect fireworks. Instead, Four Dark Nights is four unconnected novellas, three of which are essentially meandering pointless junk. The two stars it got was for Clegg’s entry, The Words. It having been years since I read anything by him I was very happy that his novella essentially saved the book.
As stated Four Dark Nights is a collection of novellas by Bentley Little, Christopher Golden, Tom Piccirilli and Douglas Clegg. I bought the novel years ago thinking it would be cool to see how one tale flowed into the other but nope they’re all stand alone tales, three quarters of them subpar.
The Circle by Little was essentially three short stories that felt crammed together without reason. The usual ordinary turned creepy atmosphere is very present yet there’s zero narrative thread that works. Part one has a couple harassed by a feral child shitting attack beetles and diamonds (seriously), part two has boys attending a backyard altar of weirdness followed by essentially child porn and part three a hero’s tale. All taking place in a neighbourhood.
Pyre by Golden has a very unlikable protagonist somehow convince her ex best man friend to dig her father’s corpse up, bring it to an island and burn it hoping he’ll come back to life and tell her why he sucked as a dad. It gets more unbelievable from there. Which sucks because normally Golden is a sure thing for a good story.
Jonah Arose by Piccrilli made zero sense but was written like some wordy metaphor for the world. In honestly I’ve never been able to make heads or tails of anything he’s written, even his short stories leave me scratching my head. He writes well but not at all straightforward. This story has a guy searching for his stolen from the womb son in some imaginary carnival while freak ghosts haunt him. Which sounds cool but I had no idea what I’d just read at the end. Like the other novels and stories by him I’ve read.
The Words by Clegg was by far the best tale here, one of boyhood friendship and love, perverted by darkness. Two friends call forth some monsters into the world and it’s well written, creepy and believable in its delivery. I forgot just how talented a writer of suspenseful horror fiction he is.
Feel free to pass on this one and if you don’t just read the last novella. It’ll save you a disappointment headache.
As stated Four Dark Nights is a collection of novellas by Bentley Little, Christopher Golden, Tom Piccirilli and Douglas Clegg. I bought the novel years ago thinking it would be cool to see how one tale flowed into the other but nope they’re all stand alone tales, three quarters of them subpar.
The Circle by Little was essentially three short stories that felt crammed together without reason. The usual ordinary turned creepy atmosphere is very present yet there’s zero narrative thread that works. Part one has a couple harassed by a feral child shitting attack beetles and diamonds (seriously), part two has boys attending a backyard altar of weirdness followed by essentially child porn and part three a hero’s tale. All taking place in a neighbourhood.
Pyre by Golden has a very unlikable protagonist somehow convince her ex best man friend to dig her father’s corpse up, bring it to an island and burn it hoping he’ll come back to life and tell her why he sucked as a dad. It gets more unbelievable from there. Which sucks because normally Golden is a sure thing for a good story.
Jonah Arose by Piccrilli made zero sense but was written like some wordy metaphor for the world. In honestly I’ve never been able to make heads or tails of anything he’s written, even his short stories leave me scratching my head. He writes well but not at all straightforward. This story has a guy searching for his stolen from the womb son in some imaginary carnival while freak ghosts haunt him. Which sounds cool but I had no idea what I’d just read at the end. Like the other novels and stories by him I’ve read.
The Words by Clegg was by far the best tale here, one of boyhood friendship and love, perverted by darkness. Two friends call forth some monsters into the world and it’s well written, creepy and believable in its delivery. I forgot just how talented a writer of suspenseful horror fiction he is.
Feel free to pass on this one and if you don’t just read the last novella. It’ll save you a disappointment headache.
October 13, 2024
Four Dark nights is collection of novellas by four of todays most popular authors.
"The Circle" by Bentley Little is a pretty wicked little tale of elder god worship in the suburbs and one night of horror ensuing from that. While it was entertaining it wasn't the best of Little's work I've read.
"Pyre" by Christopher Golden was also an interesting reading experience. Although, I can't see myself resurrecting my deceased father in order to find out why he didn't love me enough...
There's no pain so great that I would go into a graveyard at night so, therefore, I found it to be a bit of a strectch. Otherwise, the tale is well-written and deals with Viking legends and symbols and was pretty interesting from that point.
"Jonah Arose" by Tom Piccirilli...this was my least favorite of the stories in this volume...I have liked other work by this author but while reading this one I felt disconnected from the story and the protagonist...it was a struggle for me to get through.
"The Words" by Douglas Clegg...an outstanding tale that was thouroughly enjoyable and kept me hooked from the get-go. Every time I read something new by Clegg I can understand why he's receiving all the acclaim he is. While I have enjoyed most of his novels I really enjoy his shorter works...he's a grand master at them and that is possibly why he featured so often in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror editions.
"The Circle" by Bentley Little is a pretty wicked little tale of elder god worship in the suburbs and one night of horror ensuing from that. While it was entertaining it wasn't the best of Little's work I've read.
"Pyre" by Christopher Golden was also an interesting reading experience. Although, I can't see myself resurrecting my deceased father in order to find out why he didn't love me enough...
There's no pain so great that I would go into a graveyard at night so, therefore, I found it to be a bit of a strectch. Otherwise, the tale is well-written and deals with Viking legends and symbols and was pretty interesting from that point.
"Jonah Arose" by Tom Piccirilli...this was my least favorite of the stories in this volume...I have liked other work by this author but while reading this one I felt disconnected from the story and the protagonist...it was a struggle for me to get through.
"The Words" by Douglas Clegg...an outstanding tale that was thouroughly enjoyable and kept me hooked from the get-go. Every time I read something new by Clegg I can understand why he's receiving all the acclaim he is. While I have enjoyed most of his novels I really enjoy his shorter works...he's a grand master at them and that is possibly why he featured so often in the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror editions.
June 28, 2011
This anthology is a mixed bag. While Bentley Little's Novella is easily the most original, fun, and scary of the bunch, Christopher Golden gets the runner up. Tom Piccirilli, as usual, has the best writing, but his story and style doesn't seem to fit with the others in this collection. Simon Clark or Scott Nicholson would have been a better choice to fit in. Finally, Douglas Clegg's "The Words", was my least favorite, rehashing old themes from Lovecraft. Clegg is a solid writer, but whenever he goes into his abstract prose, it just becomes clumsy and confusing. Still, this book is definitely worth reading, if for no other reason than to see the different styles and techniques of today's best horror writers.
February 6, 2009
Third story by Tom Piccirilli easily the best of the four short stories (novellas). Enjoyed the other three, but was completely hypnotized by Piccirilli's story. As with nearly everything else I've read by him. If you haven't read him you REALLY should. I started with 'A Choir of Ill Children'. He's like nothing you've ever read. Difficult to label for sure. But so worth every read. He doesn't waste a single word. Just beautiful and amazing work. Check him out. You won't be sorry you did. You'll be addicted, but never sorry.
Three stars for the collection itself. Five stars for the Piccirilli story.
Three stars for the collection itself. Five stars for the Piccirilli story.
Read
December 23, 2011I only read 1/2 of this book. It sucked! I read 2 of the 4 stories, and that was enough. I had to throw it in a corner in frustration! Very disappointing.
October 5, 2020
This one has been on my shelf for some time and I happened to notice the other day that it contains novellas by Douglass Clegg, Tom Piccirilli, and Jonathan Maberry all of whom I've never read and been meaning to check out for some time--so on the Halloween reading pile it went as it had a nice suitable theme for the month of October.
Bentley Little opens the collection with a fine enough story, one that leans as far into bizarro fiction as he has ever gone (that I'm aware of) and while it's not his most satisfying or memorable story it has a few truly creepy moments. Maberry's story is superbly written and is pretty unique. Pic's story is...bizarre. But it works, mostly. It's a great addition to carny horror. The star of the show for this one is Clegg's closing novella, "Words". This is supernatural occult horror that channels Lovecraft without ripping him off, it's black metal horror with a hint of light, it's...really friggin' good. By ending with it fresh in my mind I was briefly tempted to give this book 4 stars but given that the three preceding tales were good but not great I'll keep it at a solid 3. Well worth your time if you're a horror fiction fan and I'll be reading novel length works by all of these gents in the near future.
Bentley Little opens the collection with a fine enough story, one that leans as far into bizarro fiction as he has ever gone (that I'm aware of) and while it's not his most satisfying or memorable story it has a few truly creepy moments. Maberry's story is superbly written and is pretty unique. Pic's story is...bizarre. But it works, mostly. It's a great addition to carny horror. The star of the show for this one is Clegg's closing novella, "Words". This is supernatural occult horror that channels Lovecraft without ripping him off, it's black metal horror with a hint of light, it's...really friggin' good. By ending with it fresh in my mind I was briefly tempted to give this book 4 stars but given that the three preceding tales were good but not great I'll keep it at a solid 3. Well worth your time if you're a horror fiction fan and I'll be reading novel length works by all of these gents in the near future.
November 19, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
January 27, 2016
Mix four masters of horror, give them free reign with their imaginations, and what do you have? A book worth reading, that's what!
Bentley Littles 'The Circle' starts off the fun. Although different, dark, twisted, and out there, it skids off the road a bit too much at times. I couldn't get into the characters, some of the imagery painted seemed overdone to the point of writing it just to shock the reader, and the ending left me disturbed, not necessarily in a good way.
Christopher Goldens' Pyre was an occupying, fascinating tale about a young girl who, after losing her father, goes over the edge to bring him back for a showdown. The theme was pure bliss, making me want to read more, more, and even more when it was all done with. The characters were convincingly written, multi-dimensional, and lingering. Goldens' writing style is both fierce and strong.
Tom Piccirilli's Jonah Arose is a mixed blessing. The story didn't do it for me, but it was written with a talented hand. The wording was as smooth as butter, the characterization was potent, and the ending strange. It just took a bit too long to get off, I was confused much of the time, since the tale was so 'out there'.
The last offering, Douglas Cleggs' The Words, ties in with Goldens as the winner. Intriguing, different, suspenseful, and creepy, it's a simple tale that holds much more beneath the surface.
In the mood for a good horror anthology? How can you go wrong with four in-depth novellas from these authors? Simple - you can't.
Bentley Littles 'The Circle' starts off the fun. Although different, dark, twisted, and out there, it skids off the road a bit too much at times. I couldn't get into the characters, some of the imagery painted seemed overdone to the point of writing it just to shock the reader, and the ending left me disturbed, not necessarily in a good way.
Christopher Goldens' Pyre was an occupying, fascinating tale about a young girl who, after losing her father, goes over the edge to bring him back for a showdown. The theme was pure bliss, making me want to read more, more, and even more when it was all done with. The characters were convincingly written, multi-dimensional, and lingering. Goldens' writing style is both fierce and strong.
Tom Piccirilli's Jonah Arose is a mixed blessing. The story didn't do it for me, but it was written with a talented hand. The wording was as smooth as butter, the characterization was potent, and the ending strange. It just took a bit too long to get off, I was confused much of the time, since the tale was so 'out there'.
The last offering, Douglas Cleggs' The Words, ties in with Goldens as the winner. Intriguing, different, suspenseful, and creepy, it's a simple tale that holds much more beneath the surface.
In the mood for a good horror anthology? How can you go wrong with four in-depth novellas from these authors? Simple - you can't.
May 12, 2014
What an amazing line up! Hands down, though, my favorite of the bunch is Tom Piccirilli's "Jonah Arose." I swear to you, if you find another story like it, I will kiss my own ass. It's one of the greatest things I've ever read. A man who was a child preacher is on the hunt for his father, who stole his son, in the middle of the filthiest, most depraved neighborhood you can imagine, along with his circus sideshow friends. Of course, it lives up to the great Jim Thompson rule, that nothing is as it seems. By the time this novella is finished, your life will be changed. Plus, it contains one of the most inventive ways of killing someone I've read in a while, and I've read a lot of inventive ways to kill people. My second favorite is Bentley Little's "The Circle." As always, he is very good at taking something that should seem silly or even cliched and making it seem so incredibly insidious that it's crazy. He's also as ruthless as ever with his tale of a neighborhood shrine and a group of kids who only want to get laid (but of course get screwed). Douglas Clegg gives us the greatest thing he's ever written with "The Words." I connected with it very well because Mark and Dash's relationship is very reminiscent of a relationship I had when I was in high school. Clegg remembers what it was like to be young, and he showcases it well in this novella. It is a hell of a horror tale. Christopher Golden's "Pyre," which I liked least, is still pretty good. The protagonist is very unlikable, to the point where you're wondering why you're reading the story, but the journey is worth it.
Want to read
July 31, 2011Stephen King recommended author. He says: "BEST OUTRIGHT HORROR NOVELIST. Bentley Little, in a walk. Don't know Bentley Little? You're not alone. He's probably the genre's best-kept secret, but at least 10 of his novels are available in paperback; you can pick up three for the price of that flashy new hardcover you've got your eye on. The best thing about Little is that he can go from zero to surreal in 6.0 seconds. My favorites are The Store (think Wal-Mart run by SAYYY-tan) and Dispatch, in which a young fellow discovers that his letters to the editor actually get things done. Bad things."
July 10, 2008
Some of the stories were good, some not.
I did not like the 3rd story. Unsure who it was by. It was about some strange carny guy going into a building called the Works. I hate to leave a story unfinished. However, I got about halfway through the story and decided I shouldn't be wasting my time on something I didn't enjoy. So I actually stopped reading it and moved onto the last story. This was a very rare event.
I did not like the 3rd story. Unsure who it was by. It was about some strange carny guy going into a building called the Works. I hate to leave a story unfinished. However, I got about halfway through the story and decided I shouldn't be wasting my time on something I didn't enjoy. So I actually stopped reading it and moved onto the last story. This was a very rare event.
October 7, 2011
Bentley Little as usual drug out his story with pointless obscene sexual situations. Pyre was a little on the boring side, Jonah Arose was okay although I did expect more of Tom Piccarilli. The Words was the best story by far but even it couldn't save this collection.
June 7, 2013
None of the stories were exceptional with Little's and Clegg's being the two stronger titles. Dissapointed with Tom' Piccirilli's story as he is one of my favorite authors but his contribution was a tad to eccentric for my tastes.
January 23, 2008
One story each by 4 different horror authors, cool idea, but it felt like a b-sides compilation.
August 9, 2010
I liked the Bentley Little story in the book, but I couldn't really get into the rest.
July 6, 2010
I've read better stories by each of the authors, but the book was ok.
September 17, 2010
It was ok. I liked the last story the best, but would have liked it to keep going. I have read better stories from each of the writers.
August 20, 2013
Good book and I liked all of the novellas. My favorites were the two by Little and Clegg. A very good book overall.
September 11, 2014
The first two stories were definitely mediocre. I haven't read anything by Little that I've been impressed with so far. The last couple of stories were good, but I don't care to elaborate right now.
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April 14, 2008Horror,Anthology
July 21, 2014
I have read better by Bentley Little and the other stories didn't thrill me either.
November 7, 2015
Very good read for the fall season, just wish there had been a little more of each.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews